Wednesday, March 25, 2009

In Eckleburg's Eyes - 3/25/2009, Part 1

News & Notes from Monday, March 23rd, 2009, Part 1

-On Monday afternoon I went to the Medic Regional Blood Center to donate blood. (The redundancy of that sentence just occurred to me.) My friend JR posted on Facebook that her friend (JOK) had lost a lot of blood in a surgery the previous Friday (March 20th). Since I have blood, I donated in her name. If you wish to do so, you can too. If you donate before April 6th, you can get this stellar March Madness t-shirt as well.

-I had never been to Medic before. I set out knowing only that it was on campus. When I remembered that I had no idea where I was going, I stopped and visited my friends at Hope Resource Center (HRC). The kind people at HRC directed me to Student Health Services. It was there that I learned where to donate blood. If you ever need to go Medic is situated on the corner of 17th and Ailor at 1601 Ailor Avenue.

-My initial interview was conducted by Ben Parrish (BEP), an old friend from church. He is now attending Fellowship Evangelical Free Church. He is still in training but did a great job in taking my initial blood and asking questions. I am not sure, but I may have answered more questions to give blood than to get into my PhD program. The preacher in me would like you to know that you can positively answer no to most questions that would prevent you from giving blood just by waiting until marriage to have sex. (Click on the list on the left to view it.)

-After reconnecting with BEP, I was taken to a large room where a woman named Mary took my blood. They had the most comfortable recliners I have ever sat in. It was a good experience. Not only did I get the t-shirt and the opportunity to sit in a special recliner, but I will also soon know my blood type. At the moment, I have no idea what it is. That might be important...